Counseling Courses, Training, and Certification

• Many states require a master's degree to be a licensed counselor
• Nearly every state requires a license or a form of certification to practice

The job of counselors is to help people with internal problems. These problems are often personal, familial, educational, or mental health. Sometimes issues of career or general life path are involved in people's desire for counseling. Usually professional counselors specialize in one of a number of areas. However, one does not have to aspire to be a licensed counselor in order to take counseling courses or training. Often, teachers, Human Resource professionals, executives take counseling classes as they find it extremely helpful in the workplace.

Areas of Specialization Include:

Educational, Vocational, and school counselors work with both groups and individuals to help students with a variety of emotional issues. These professionals are most often known as school counselors. They conduct interviews, group sessions, and one on one sessions with students, often trying to evaluate their interests and abilities or to look for signs of abuse. Vocational counselors work outside of the school and are often known as career counselors. They work to assess a client's skills and interests, education, history, and more and help ultimately help the client with career decisions.

Rehabilitation Counselors help people deal with all aspects of disabilities. This includes personal, social, and career effects of a disability. Such disabilities could be the result of birth defects, injury, mental trauma, illness, or even stress. Often times the work of a rehabilitation counselor extends into working with the family of the disabled person and helping them cope with their current situation

Mental Health Counselors work with families, groups, and individuals to locate and treat mental or emotional disorders. The goal is optimum mental health. Often they deal with stress, anxiety disorders, aging, career concerns and more.

Marriage and Family Therapists

Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

We have compiled a listing of schools that offer counseling courses, training, and certification below. Just click on the buttons for more complimentary information directly from any schools of interest.